Hair brushes, with their many and varied bristles and forms, are a difficult tool to adequately disinfect. Typically nylon or boar, the bristles scrape against skin, and pull through hair, gathering skin and skin born pathogens. It is not unusual for clients to have open sores or breaks in the skin of the scalp, allowing as well for the retrieval of bodily fluids, and potential diseases therein, onto said brush. The heat generated from blow drying, typically 50-130 degrees F., is not sufficient to sanitize, and many organisms will survive/persist beyond said heat. As well, Barbacide, mixed in the recommended ratio of 2 ounces to 32 ounces water, is not an ideal means of sanitizing a hairbrush. The continued chemical and liquid exposure would be damaging to the brush, and the brush would be sopping wet with Barbacide, a toxic chemical that would then be heated, vaporized, and inhaled on a regular basis. As well, the client's skin would receive an excess of this potential irritant/toxin.
The challenge of sanitizing/disinfecting hair brushes has gone largely unchecked by hair salons and their employees. The sanitizing and disinfecting of hair brushes, and other tools particular to the art, is typically neither attempted, nor accomplished. The result is a brush that has gone through hundreds if not thousands of clients' heads without any cleaning-beyond removing excess hair. This problem is compounded by the typical storage of brushes in close proximity to one another, thus leading to cross contamination. There is a void of understanding, both by the salon team, and the average client, as to the extent of diseases, like MRSA, Hepatitis, flu, and various fungal infections, that can quite easily be spread by hair salon tools.
There are chemical spray disinfectants present on the market, which may be employed to partially disinfect a hair brush, but are rarely, if ever used. These chemical disinfectants are both displeasing and unhealthy to inhale, and are always potentially irritating to the skin, especially to individuals with skin sensitivities. In addition, to achieve set sanitizing standards of 99.9% and above, a hairbrush would have to be truly saturated with chemical spray disinfectant, including the handle, and left to sit for at least 10 minutes (chemical sanitizing time standard,) which is unrealistic at best. In real salon use, the typically quick and partial random application of such chemical sprays produces sub-standard results.
Presently, there are UV light “boxes,” used in nail salons for sanitizing instruments. Often these are toaster/microwave ovens that have been retrofitted with UV bulbs, or similarly sized devices for same said purpose. These devices are typically not used in hair salons for several reasons. First, there has not been a demand for their use by the clientele, nor enough education to raise awareness for the need. The devices are often too large and unsightly for a typical salon station, where space is often limited. Likewise, the introduction of a large sanitizing device would invite sanitizing of multiple brushes simultaneously, which depending on design, likely creates several problems. As efficacy of UV light is dependent on reaching all surface areas requiring disinfection, brushes on/next to other brushes creates “shading,” allowing resistant viruses/bacteria to effectively hide from sanitizing light, reducing efficacy of the process.
To mitigate cost, a unit that holds several brushes would unfortunately invite salons to purchase fewer “shared” units, as multiple stylists could use the same device simultaneously. However, such a shared arrangement presents issues of lost or borrowed brushes, as well as forcing stylists to leave their stations repeatedly throughout the day in order to sanitize and retrieve hair brushes or other implements. This would likely lead to a significant decrease in the frequency of use of such a device, further subjecting the population to continued needless exposure to harmful pathogens. Therefore, a small, personalized sanitizing unit that can be placed at each stylist's station, occupying a minimal footprint, is the ideal.
To further ensure its use, there is a need for a sanitizing device that can quickly and easily be operated by a hairdresser. For example, when holding a blow dryer in one hand, and a brush in a second hand, it would be desirable for the hairdresser to be able to operate a unit with one finger.
http://prefundia.com/projects/view/brush-medic-makeup-brush-dryer-and-uv-sterilizer/3228/ shows a brush medic makeup brush dryer and UV sterilizer. Unlike the present invention, the brush medic does not hold the entire brush, allowing organisms on the handle to avoid exposure to UV sanitizing. Also, it is not easily operated with one finger, and has a single uv light several inches away at the bottom of its chamber—a fact that guarantees a significantly longer than claimed 60 seconds for a sanitizing cycle if efficacy is to be achieved.
http://www.thehairandbeautycompany.ie/catalogue/crewe-orlando-sirius-sterilizer-p_3651—shows a sterilizer with a flip door. Unlike the present invention, the sterilizer with a flip door is a container that can be opened and closed, but does not have a particular holder for a brush, does not have reflectors, does not have a particular holder to ensure the brush or other hair styling tool receives more direct UV exposure, and does not have a slider for one finger operation.
http://www.salonspafurniture.com/pd-pibbs-495-saniplus-sanitizer.cfm shows a sanitizer with an oven-like access. Unlike the present invention, the sanitizer does not have have a particular holder for a brush, does not have reflectors, does not have a particular holder to ensure the brush or other hair styling tool receives more direct UV exposure, and does not have a slider for one finger operation.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ultraviolet-Sterilzer-Sanitizer-Cabinet-Machinee/dp/B00GD45228 shows a sanitizer cabinet. Unlike the present invention, the sanitizer cabinet has a large footprint on a workstation, opens like a conventional toaster oven furthering it's footprint, and provides metallic grids that can shade said objects to be sanitized, preventing from receiving the optimal UV exposure.
Thus, clearly there is, and has long been a need for a new hair brush sanitizing and disinfecting device that safely utilizes UV light to sanitize and disinfect hair brushes and other implements in the field of hairdressing. Such a device would maximize sanitizing output in minimal space, encouraging its consistent use by design. Such a device is preferably configured to rapidly disinfect a hair brush via UV lamps, including UVC LED's, or other known or yet to be discovered UV outputting emitters.